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Wolf Pup Weekly
Woodriver Issue #15 - 1/12/24
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A WORD FROM MR. GUY
Hello Wolf Pup parents! I spent Saturday-Tuesday in Juneau meeting with Legislators
and listening to panel discussion on education. I spent hours meeting individually with
every legislator from the Fairbanks and North Pole area highlighting the potential cuts to
our school district and the increase to class size. Some of my take aways from our
meetings were that when we think about getting legislation passed we need to think of it
as a three legged stool. The Senate, House and the Governor. In speaking with a
legislator, they stated that Alaska’s Governor is the most powerful Governor in our
nation. It takes ¾ of the house and senate voting “yes” to override his veto. Last year
the Governor vetoed the 680 dollars in one time funding and pushed it down to 340
dollars. The hope was to return that 340 dollars by overriding the Governor’s veto at the
beginning of session this year, but ultimately they failed. Therefore, even if the House
and Senate agree upon a number to support schools, if that number is too high the
Governor could simply veto it.
The other thing I heard over and over is that legislators need to hear from parents and
students. As an employee of the school district I can provide them with specific details
about the bright spots in our school, our challenges and the potential ramifications of
continued flat funding. But I am simply one person. Our legislators and Governor
Dunleavy are elected officials and your voice matters. I would urge you to connect with
your legislators and the Governor’s office whether you are in support of an increase to
the BSA or even if you don’t. A part of what makes our country great is our ability to
interact with our government on an individual level. Here is a list of our representatives
and how to contact them.
Senator Click Bishop- Toll Free: 800-336-7383. Email- Click.Bishop@akleg.gov
Senator Scott Kawasaki- Toll Free: 866-465-3466. Email- Scott.Kawasaki@akleg.gov
Senator Robert Myers- Toll Free:877-465-3719. Email- Robert.Myers@akleg.gov
Representative Ashley Carrick- Toll Free: 866-465-4976 Email- Ashley.Carrick@akleg.gov
Representative Maxine Dibert- Toll Free: 877-665-3709. Email- Maxine.Dibert@akleg.gov
Representative Mike Prax- Toll Free:800-860-4797. Email- Mike.Prax@akleg.gov
Representative Will Stapp- Toll Free: 877-465-3004. Email- Will.Stapp@akleg.gov
Representative Frank Tomaszewski- Toll Free: 800-928-4457. Email-
I want to thank each and every Legislator for taking the time to meet with our group of
principals. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t make time to listen and talk with us
about our concerns. All we can do now is continue to engage with our government to
ensure that our opinions are heard our elected officials are truly representing the will of
the people.
Quote of the Week
Parent Teacher Conferences
Announcements
UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS
Dear Students, Parents, Guardians, and Family Members:
You are cordially invited to participate in Woodriver’s annual Science Fair.
Please pick up a Science Fair packet from the office or download a PDF version from Woodriver’s
Science Fair website at the link below.
The Science Fair is an opportunity for all students to learn more about science by investigating a
student selected topic of interest and completing a project. Families and siblings are encouraged to
work together. Project entries are categorized into six major divisions: Experiment, Demonstration,
Science Report, Science Collection, Invention, and Computer Coding. Please visit our school’s Science Fair website via the link below for links to hundreds of Science Fair project ideas.
The students will complete a traditional tri-board display. Tri-board Science Fair projects need to be brought to Woodriver’s MPR for display, before school (8:30 to 9:15 AM) on Thursday, February 29th. The students will need to pick up their displays on Friday, March 1st, after school, at 3:45 PM.
The Science Fair is an incredible opportunity to explore a topic of interest and share your findings
with the entire school and community. Everyone is strongly encouraged to participate. All
participants will receive a certificate, participant ribbon, and a button. Winners will be selected in
each category and they will receive ranked ribbons. The top contestants will advance to the Interior
Alaska Science Fair competition, held at Pioneer Park, March 20th to 23rd.
If you are interested in participating in the Science Fair, please pick up a Science Fair packet from
the office, complete the application in the packet, and submit it to the Science Fair collection
envelope, located at the office, by Friday, February 2nd. Thank you.
We need judges for the projects. Judging will occur on Thursday, February 29th from 9:30 AM to 1
PM. Please complete and return the attached form below if you can volunteer as a judge. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Rob Kinder, Science Fair Coordinator
rob.kinder@k12northstar.org (907) 479-4211 ext. 47016
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Greetings Wolfpups. Over the next several weeks we will spotlight a few of
Woodriver’s amazing staff members. Each staff member will be interviewed by third
graders.
In celebration of National School Counseling Week, we proudly present our outstanding
school counselor, Mrs. Brashear. She was interviewed by Woodriver’s students Finn,
Remington, and Walter.
PTA UPDATES
Box Tops for Education!
Did you know you can still earn money for our school with Box Tops for Education? All you do is scan your receipt! You can even share with friends and family and they can help earn money for our school too! The Woodriver PTA thanks you!
Each year, our district offers summer music camp scholarships, and now we're offering even more summer music opportunities!
To support these efforts, the district is hosting a MIOSM (Music In Our Schools Month) fundraiser.
We have an online store selling items with a MIOSM design by LHS student Myrandah Parchue.
To get involved, please check out the link below to the online store!
Unfortunately, there are not many options under the tab "Women's Apparel",
but there are unisex options under the "Men's Apparel" tab:
(Gildan Tee, Gildan Longsleeve Tee, Raglan Jersey, and Gildan Hoodie are described as unisex sizes.)
Orders can all be done online! items are shipped directly to the buyer!
Budget Updates
A note from the Superintendent
Dear district families,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share information from the fiscal year 2025 proposed budget with you. Due to inadequate education funding, the school district faces making unprecedented cuts to balance its budget.
Balancing the budget means making painful tradeoffs that affect the education our students receive. My own children attend school here in our district and I want them, and all our students, to have the best education possible. Please know that we explore every option before resorting to the reductions you’ll find in the proposed budget and that the reductions were not made lightly. The school board and I welcome input from stakeholders as we work through creating a recommended budget to send over to the borough in the next month. By working as a team, we can navigate these challenges while still empowering students’ growth and achievement.
Thank you for all you do to partner with the school district and your school to ensure your student receives an excellent education.
Dr. Luke Meinert
FNSBSD Superintendent
Here is some information regarding the proposed budget:
Stagnant Funding
The school district receives approximately 60% of its funding from the State of Alaska through a per student amount known as the Base Student Allocation (BSA). The BSA has not seen a meaningful increase since 2017. Meanwhile, district costs have continued to increase every year. Without reliable increased funding this has meant repeated years of reductions.
FY25 Proposed Deficit
The school district is entering FY25 with a $29 million deficit. In the proposed budget we are assuming some increased funding from both the State and the Borough, however, we are still assuming a $16 million deficit that we will need to make reductions to balance.
FY25 Proposed Reductions
For a detailed list of the reductions, please review the FY25 Proposed Budget document.
Class size increases ($7.5 million) - Unfortunately, roughly 86% of the district’s budget is essentially people. This means that when cuts need to be made, it’s positions that have to be reduced. With such a large deficit, we’ve made hard decisions to increase class size and reduce teacher positions. The FY25 proposed Pupil-to-Teacher Ratios are:
Kindergarten - 25:1 (no change)
Grades 1-5 - 25:1 increased to 30:1
Grades 6-8 - 27:1 increased to 32:1
Grades 9-12 - 30:1 increased to 35:1
Two School Closures ($3.6 million) - School closures is an emotional, difficult topic, but one we have to address when faced with our financial reality. It’s more important than ever that our district operates efficiently so that we can provide the best education possible to our students.
Contract Out Custodial ($1.5 million) - Many organizations in the city and borough contract out their custodial services. It would be a way to offer the same or very similar services at a significantly reduced cost. All schools would continue to have a day custodian as well as evening custodians who clean the building. The cost savings would be utilized to avoid additional cuts to student services.
Administration Cuts ($600,000) - These cuts are a combination of cuts at the administrative center downtown and two assistant principal positions located at Lathrop and West Valley. As you may have noticed over the past several years, as cuts occur at the administrative center, services offered to support schools have slowed or stopped.
What’s Next (Learn more about the budget process)
The school board will dive into the proposed budget over the course of this month, which will lead to the development of the FY25 Recommended Budget. The recommended budget will be published on April 1 and submitted to the Borough Assembly. After funding from the Borough and State is finalized, the FY25 Approved Budget will passed, likely in May or June.
Advocating for Public Education
If you would like to help encourage the State to increase public education funding, you can do the following:
Contact your area’s elected representatives: akleg.gov. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and use the Who Represents Me? tool.
Share a public opinion message with all legislators: https://www.akleg.gov/poms
Email the governor and legislators: gov.alllegislators@alaska.gov
Encourage the borough assembly to pass the ordinance calling for a special tax cap election
Engage in the tax cap election process that could bring $10 million dollars to the school district
District Guidelines Regarding Weather Closures
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
All students enrolled in an FNSBSD-affiliated institution are invited to submit one piece of art made at home or in school, which will be featured at the Bear Gallery during the month of March!
Artwork may be any of the following media: painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, print, mixed media, jewelry, fiber, and photography.
Community judges will name five awardees in each of the three below categories:
- Imagination: Where does your imagination take you? What kind of creatures, worlds, and things can you create in your mind? Is there an alternative world you’d like to go to, a fantastical animal you made up, or a crazy dinner you imagine your family eating?
- Stories: How can you tell a story or create a scene in your art? Are you inspired by movies, stories, or comic books? How could you recreate a favorite memory with your friend, a scene from a story you read, or imagine something you’d like to happen?
- Connection: What connections and relationships are important in your life? How do you connect with your community? Do you like spending time with your neighbors, classmates, or pets?
2024 NAACP Black History Month Contest
The local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the FNSBSD are proud to sponsor the 2024 Black History Month Contest. We invite all K-12 students to participate in this annual contest. This contest is an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge, encourage the study of Black History, and show excellence in creativity. View the details by clicking the link below.
Entry submission deadline is Friday, March 1, 2024.
ALASKA READS ACT
Reading Update for K-3 Families | Alaska Reads Act
Reading is a critical skill to access learning in all areas and is known to increase success, satisfaction, and health across an individual's lifetime. It is vital that we put every effort into helping children learn to read at a developmentally appropriate rate along with their peers. At our schools we are making efforts to ensure children who need extra help receive it along the way. Parents are vital partners in this effort, and we value your support and insight into your child.
Recently, students in elementary schools participated in mid-year benchmark assessments to measure their progress in reading. Students in K-3 completed mClass for Reading and students in grades 3-5 took MAP for Reading and MATH. These results will be shared with parents during Parent-Teacher Conferences in February.
Under the Alaska Reads Act, school districts are required to inform parents if their child has any reading deficiencies 45 days before the end of the school year.
At the February Parent-Teacher Conferences, teachers will share important information regarding parent or guardian rights and responsibilities regarding student grade level placement. The state allows parents or guardians to make the determination, once, to hold their K-3 grade child back, or repeat a grade, if they are below or well below grade level in reading based on the benchmark testing. Parents also have the right to decide to move their child on to the next grade with their peers.
Your input is necessary and valuable at the February Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please expect to see communication coming soon from your childs’ school. We encourage you to participate in the conferences and learn more about this important learning decision for your child.
A NOTE ON ATTENDANCE
Please help us reach our attendance goals
Every Day Counts! | Attendance Matters
Regular school attendance means students attend school in-person for 90% or more of the school year. Our district's goal for attendance is to increase the overall percentage of students attending school to 90% or more. That means:
Students miss fewer than 17 days of school throughout the entire year OR
No more than two days per month on average
This includes excused absences.
DID YOU KNOW....
We record absences and tardies differently depending on the reason? An absence due to illness or Dr. appt is recorded differently than an absence because of a family trip or event. And there is also a difference between a tardy and an early pick-up, and a half day AM or PM absence. Also, if your student is tardy, and you do not walk them in and fill out a tardy slip, or call the office, their tardy is coded unexcused.
We know students who attend school regularly see more opportunities for success and we want to partner with you to support you in making sure your student has access to whatever they need to get to school on time every day! Parents, please be mindful of appointment times, late check-ins and early check-outs to help our students be at school every day, and ready to learn the Wolf pup way!
Attendance Matters! #AlldayEveryday
AVAILABLE FAMILY RESOURCES
SLED/ Live Homework Help
Live Homework Help provides free, online tutoring to Alaskan students in grade K-12 and intro level college students. Offered Monday through Friday, 8am to 2am; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 2 am Alaska Time. Students can work with a live tutor or use the study resources independently. Click the button below for more information.
Bright Futures Fairbanks | Student Support Services
We firmly believe that every child in our community deserves an equal opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, many of them come to school without the basic necessities that most people often take for granted, such as food, school supplies, and winter gear.
If your family needs assistance in any of these ways, please reach out to Bright Futures Fairbanks by following the link below.
Our Social Emotional Learning & Prevention department is fully committed to supporting and uplifting our community. Our primary aim is to effectively identify and align local resources, with the ultimate goal of overcoming challenges and barriers faced by students in our district.
Through collaboration, we can ensure that every child's basic needs are fulfilled. Let us be the bridge that brings positivity and support to those who need it the most.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
An online application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is now available. Alaska SNAP provides food benefits to low-income households. The new online application is a “smart form,” streamlining the process and the amount of time it takes to complete the form by only populating fields that the applicant needs based on their responses. Learn more about SNAP by clicking below.
SCHOOL LUNCH MENU
SchoolCafe/Free & Reduced Meal Applications | Nutrition Services
SchoolCafe/Free & Reduced Meal Applications | Nutrition Services
If you previously had a free and reduced meal application processed and feel your children might qualify for a better meal eligibility, please complete a new meals application by clicking the link below, and send the following information to foodservice@k12northstar.org:
- Income documentation for the prior 30 days
- Student(s) names and meal application number (if completed online)
*With the new calendar year, the 2023 PFD value is required by the USDA to be used when calculating household income on the meals application.
BECOME A SUBSTITUTE!
LEARN AT HOME!
Want to access Classlink at home?
When your student puts in their username, please note that you will have to add the "@student.k12northstar.org". School computers do this automatically, so that is the most common problem families have at home
BUS INFO
There has been a lot of concern over late buses and finding out when students will be home. If you have concerns you would like to share, please call Durham at 1(907)206-7789. This number can also be called for Dispatch if you would like to get an ETA on a route.
If you cannot get ahold of Durham, please call the transportation dept at (907)452-2000 ext 11351
There are a few tools available to help as well: One is to set up email notifications for late buses. Directions to set that up are below.
The other tool is a new system the district has set up that is a live bus tracking service. This allows you to see where the bus is along the route, the time it arrived at each stop, and even if the doors opened at the stop.
you can use this service at http://busroutes.k12northstar.org
Click on your school (Woodriver is WRV - Ryan is RYN), and then on the route you would like to view.
There are additional instructions on how to use it at: https://www.k12northstar.org/cms/lib/AK01901510/Centricity/Domain/1159/Bus%20Route%20Tracker_2023-09-06.pdf
Please note: Special Education buses are not listed on the live tracker. Please call Durham Dispatch or the transportation department with questions/concerns about those routes
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES
Newly Released School Visitor Guidelines
CLUBS
AM Fitness
Grades K-5
Rom: Gym | Mon-Fri 8:45-9:15
Handwork CLub
HANDWORK CLUB IS FULL
$60/ QuarterGrades 3-5
Rm: 6 | Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:15
There are only 12 spots in this club. First come first serve, and spot must be paid for to reserve.
Game Club
Grades 2-5
Rm: 16 | Tuesdays 8-9:15
3rd Grade math tutor
3rd grade only
Room 16 | Thursdays 8:30-9:15
Band Club
5th grade
Band Room | Wed or Fri
STEM Club
NO STEM CLUB 3rd QUARTER!
$25/Quarter
Grades 3-5
Room 16 | Wednesdays 8:00-9:15am
There are only 25 spots in this club. Lottery is held to determine selection. Those not selected will be placed on a waitlist.
DISTRICT SCHOOL CALENDAR
IMPORTANT DATES
February
Feb 19-20 - Parent Teacher Conferences | No School
Feb 21 - Teacher Professional Development | No School
March
Mar 8 | Early Dismissal @ 2:15
Mar 11-15 - Spring Break | No School
Welcome to Woodriver Elementary School
OFFICE HOURS: 8:45-4:15
SCHOOL HOURS 9:15 - 3:45
Email: nicole.wells@k12northstar.org
Website: www.k12northstar.org/woodriver
Location: 5000 Palo Verde Ave
Phone: 907-479-4211